“Despite all the pressures and obstructions, arrests, deaths, exile and censorship, the Kurdish press grew further and attained a significant place in the region and the world” said Free Journalists Association.
Free Journalists Association (ÖGC) has released its report documenting the attacks on free and opposition press in Turkey on occasion of Kurdish Journalism Day, April 22.
“We started with the Kurdistan newspaper in exile and we continue today with dozens of magazines, newspapers, radios, TVs, agencies and news sites. Despite all the pressures and obstructions, arrests, deaths, exile and censorship, the Kurdish press grew further and attained a significant place in the region and the world. Kurdish press became the voice, ear and eye of not only Kurds but also all the peoples in this geography. Making no concessions of the truth, it always took it as its primary duty to relay the truths, fighting for 119 years in order for truths not to be left in the dark”, said the ÖGC report on occasion of the Kurdish Journalism Day.
ÖGC continued, drawing attention to the increasingly ongoing attacks on the Kurdish and opposition media in Turkey since the eruption of conflict in 2015 after the end of the process aiming a resolution to the Kurdish question.
ÖGC remarked that pressures against free press escalated even further after the declaration of State of Emergency in last year's July, after which steps were taken to silence Kurdish and opposition press by means of statutory decrees.
The report noted that hundreds of journalists have been detained since, dozens were jailed, many more were sued, journalism was prosecuted, access to news agencies was blocked, TV stations, news agencies and newspapers were shut down and thousands of journalists were fired.
ÖGC listed the following figures regarding the attacks and pressures against press since January 1, 2017:
* 17 journalists were jailed (166 are still behind bars)
* 82 journalists were detained
* 35 journalists were investigated
* 9 journalists were attacked
* 6 journalists were sued
* 30 journalists were fined
* 2 journalists were deported.
* 2 TV stations were shut down.
* Journalist Nujiyan Erhan was murdered in Shengal and Shifa Gardi in Mosul.
* 6 journalists were injured while covering incidents.
* 17 journalists had their computers and cameras seized.
* 3 news agencies were blocked access.
